Vehicle wheel



April 25, 1939. J H. HUNT ET AL Re. 21,059

vEHmLE WHEEL Original Filed June 50, 1932 m w T N N R w? m um W A H 7 M a WW Mn 4 J F Y B Reiesued Apr. 25, 1939.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 21,059 VEHICLE WHEEL J Harold Hunt and Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments, to George Albert Lyon, Detroit, Mich.

rial No. 245,951

1'7 Claims.

The present invention relates to the combination with a vehicle wheel of a removable shield or cover therefor and more particularly to novel means for detachably connecting the cover to the wheel. This application is a division of our copending application Serial. No. 620,064, filed June 30, 1932, which matured into Patent No. 1,993,061, March 5, 1935.

Shields or cover plates are used with vehicle wheels for the purpose of improving the appearance of the wheel. A light weight metal shield can be formed to provide any desired configuration within wide limits and can be finished in substantially any desired manner. The primary function of a wheel is to support the vehicle with which it is associated and it must necessarily be designed to accomplish this result. In producing wheels utility is of greater consideration than appearance. Accordingly, shields are provided for vehicle wheels to supply the desired decorative efiect without impairing the maximum utilitarian emciency of. the wheel.

Where decorative shields are used in combination with vehicle wheels it is desirable to make them removable whereby ready access may be had to the various parts of the wheel. Considerable difllculty has been experienced heretofore in providing suitable means for removably securing a shield to a vehicle wheel. Where some permanent securing means such as bolts or screws are used, the cost of the assembly is ma-' terially increased and the facility with which the shield may be installed or removed is impaired. Difliculty is also experienced in removably se curing shields to vehicle wheels in a manner whereby all objectionable rattles due to metallic contact between the wheel and shield is eliminated.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of resilient means for removably securing a shield to a vehicle wheel whereby to facilitate the removal and installation of the shield and at the same time effect a flrm'engagement with the wheel when installed.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention. is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure I is a cross sectional view of a vehicle wheel provided with a shield attached thereto by resilient attaching means;

Fig. II is a side view in elevation of an attaching ring carried by the shield shown in Figure I;

Figure 111'. is an enlarged sectional view taken Figure V is an enlarged sectional view of a modified form of cover plate having a central opening therein and showing the relation of the shield to the hub.

The vehicle wheel shown in Figure I as an illustrative embodiment of the present invention consists oi a cylindrical hub shell III, a wheel body II in the form. of a curved disc secured to the hub shell l0, and a conventional drop center tire carrying rim l2 secured to the outer periphery of the disc I l. Itshould, of course, be understood that any other form of wheel body such as wood, wire or steel spokes may be utilized in place of the disk ii if desired. Likewise, a conventional wheel felloe may be used in place of the rim l2 without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The hub shell I0 is provided with an inturned I flange l8 at the front side thereof and with an inturned flange ll at the rear side. Suitable openings I! are formed in the flange II by means of which the hub shell I0 is secured to a wheel hub. The hub shell I0 is preferably formed with an enlarged portion indicated at it adjacent the front edge thereof whereby a decorative shield is secured thereto as will be described presently.

The wheel disc II is secured to the hub shell l0 and the rim I2 respectively by rivets II. A substantially circular shield ii of a diameter somewhat less than that of the shoulder portion IQ of the rim I2 is positioned against the side of the wheel with its peripheral portion within the annular shoulder portion is of the rim l2. As shown the shield comprises a continuous circular sheet of metal which closes the opening formed at the front side of the hub shell I. whereby the necessity for a hub cap is ,eliminated.

The shield I8 is removably secured to the vehicle wheel by means of a ring 2| which is preferably welded to the inner surface of the shield adjacent its central portion. A laterally extending portion 22 of the ring 2| is of substantially the same or slightly greater diameter than the enlarged portion I 6 of the hub shell III. A plurality of projections 23 are formed in the lateral portion of the ring 2| by depressing the edge thereof at intervals about the circumference. These projections decrease the effective internal diameter of the portion 22 whereby the ring may be sprung over the enlarged portion IQ of the hub shell l0 and pressed into snug engagement with the external surface of the hub shell ad- Jacent the enlarged portion l6. An opening 24 is formed in the ring 2| immediately behind each taining spring means between said ring and hub part, said ring including a flange connecud to an intermediate portion of the disk and adapted to bear the stress of the spring means a the disk is snapped in place on the wheel.

6. In combination, a wheel having rim and hub portions, an ornamental disk radially inward of the outer periphery of the rim and extending over the outer face of the wheel including its hub portion, and cooperating disk retaining parts on said disk and wheel formed to enable said disk to be snapped into retained engagement with said wheel, said disk extending across the center and outer face of the wheel to conceal said retaining parts and being readily disengageable by the prying of said disk at of said wheel.

7. In combination, a wheel, an ornamental disk formed to extend over substantially the entire outer face of the wheel to conceal the same, and cooperating parts on the wheel and disk including resilient means formed to enable said disk to be snapped into a retained position on the wheel, said disk having an outer portion adapted to make guiding contact with the wheel upon axial movement of the disk relative to the wheel to assist in the alignment of the cooperating disk retaining parts.

8. In a wheel construction, a vehicle wheel including a rim and a central flanged portion and an ornamental member for disposition over substantially the entire outer side of the wheel and means for attaching said member to the wheel consisting solely of spring retaining means including a plurality of laterally projecting free resilient projections, said means including two portions disposed at an angle to each other, one of the portions being attachedin place by fastening means at a point remote from the junction of said portions, the other portion comprising one having a free end for engagement with a flange on the other part, said retaining means comprising two portions disposed at an angle to each other, one of said portions being fastened to the part carrying said means at a point remote from the junction of said portions. I

10. In a wheel construction, a vehicle, wheel including a multi-flanged rim and a body part,

- -an ornamental disk part for overlying an outer side of said wheel and substantially covering the same, spaced retaining spring elements attached by fastening means to one of said parts for engagement with a shoulder on the other part, said disk part terminating outwardly between spaced flanges of said rim to permit the insertion of a prying tool behind an edge of the disk part and the fulcruming of the tool on a rim flange to force the disk part oil the wheel, certain of said spring elements being deflected by the prying action and aiding in ejecting the disk part from the wheel after a predetermined prying movement.

11. The combination with an automobile wheel including a tire rim and a central hub part, of an ornamental disk of thin metallic sheet material for disposition over an outer side of the wheel and having compressible means at its outer peripheral portion for cooperation with said rim .and having disk-retaining means formedto be manually moved into disk retaining engagement withsaidhubparhsaldretainingmeansbeing gagement with said rim, said disk being adapted to be readily manually moved on or of! said wheel from the outer side of the wheel while the wheel is on a vehicle, said disk extending clear across the wheel hub so as to conceal the outer side of the wheel inside of said rim.

12. The combination with an automobile wheel including a tire rim and a central hub part, of an ornamental disk of thin metallic sheet material for disposition over substantially the entire outer side of the wheel and having resilient means at its outer peripheral portion for cooperation with said rim and having disk-retaining means formed to be snapped into disk-retaining engagement with said hub part. said retaining means being arranged so that the act of snapping same into position retains the disk on the wheel and places said resilient means under tension.

13. In combination with a wheel including rim and hub parts, a circular plate of relatively thin metallic sheet material extending between said wheel parts and over the center of the wheel and formed to be snapped into engagement with said parts, and concealed resilient means for yieldably retaining it in engagement with said wheel parts, one of said parts including an inclined shoulder and the other including a resilient edge adapted to be cammed over and down the surface of said inclined shoulder.

14. In combination, a wheel having rim and hub portions. an ornamental disk radially inward of the outer periphery of the rim and extending over the outer face of the wheel including its hub portion. and cooperating disk retaining parts on said disk and wheel formed to enable said disk to be snapped into retained engagement with said wheel, said disk extending across the center and outer face of the wheel to conceal said retaining parts and being readily disengageable by the .pry-

,. ing of said disk 03 oi said wheel, said cooperating disk retaining parts including a humped part and an edge adapted to be pressed over saidhumped part and downwardly behind the same.

15. In combination with a wheel including a rim and a hub part provided with a wheel-mounting means, a circular part of relatively thin metallic sheet material for concealing said wheel mounting means and formed to be snapped into retained engagement with said hub part, said hub part including a rigid circular shoulder and the circular part including a resilient edge cooperable therewith to retain said circular part under tension on the wheel, portions of said edge and shoulder being separated by a plurality of projections on one of said parts which cause flexure of said portoins of said edge, to resiliently bind said circular part under resilient tension to said hub part.

16. In combination with a wheel including a rim and a hub part provided with a wheel mounting means, a circular part of relatively thin metallic sheet material for concealing said wheel mounting means and formed to be snapped-into engagement with said hub part, one of said parts including a resilient edge and the other including a shoulder cooperable therewith, said edge comprising the extremity of a rearwardly extending edgeand shoulder when in cooperation heingaeparated by a plurality of projections on one oi aaid parts which spring said edge out oi-ita normal circle to resiliently bind said parts together un- .der tension, edge when being applied to said shoulder flexing in a direction to apply a gradu- 'allyincreasingpreasureagainstsaidahonlder'andi thereafter on a latter part oi its movement over said' shoulder flexing in an opposite direction to apply less pressure, but suflicient to retain said circular part on said wheel under temion.

17. In combination. a wheel having a rim portion and a body portion with central wheel mounting means. an ornamental circular plate tor disposition on said body portion. and cooperating plate retaining parts on said plate and wheel formed to enable said plate to he shamed into retained ncasement with said wheel. plate concealing said wheel mounting said retaining parts and being readily dise able by theprying of saidplate oi! oi said wheel. said cooperating plate retaining parts including an annular surface and a flexible skirt having-an edge a portion ot'which iadeflected into retaining engagement with said surface, portionaoi'saidedgeheingseparatedi'romsaid suriace whereby upon application 01 the orna- 

